Lord British auctions his vital fluids for $5,000+ to promote new RPG

With so many important news stories fighting for our attention these days, it can be hard to get people to care about a simple gaming crowdfunding effort. But sometimes a crowdfunding publicity stunt breaks through the noise and turns into something you have to gawk at.

Further Reading

Yes, Lord British himself, the 55-year-old creator of the Ultima series and noted space tourist, is auctioning off samples of his actual blood to raise money for his new fantasy RPG, Shroud of the Avatar. The six reliquaries—which we'll note again are full ofRichard Garriott's actual blood—are being marketed as limited-run art pieces, "made of bakelite, copper, nails, glass, and mirrored glass that can be hung on your wall."

Lest you think Garriott and company are just joking around and marketing colored cornstarch as real blood, the team at developer Portalarium took the trouble to livestream Garriott's bloodletting on YouTube last night (Jump to 19:00 or so). The footage is worth a gander just to see the registered nurse trying to act like publicity stunts are a normal part of her job.

Bidding for the vials starts at $5,000. As of this writing, the auction has attracted only a single bid after being up for a few hours, even though each vial includes a boatload of digital Shroud of the Avatar items and a chance to visit Portalarium's offices in Austin, Texas, (travel costs not included).

Frankly, we're not sure why Garriott added those extras. A chance to own the vital fluids of a legendary game designer doesn't come along every day, people. If you don't take advantage of this rare opportunity, you'll probably just waste those thousands of dollars on trivialities like food and shelter, anyway. Don't let life pass you by! Bid today!

Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl